BBB Helps Consumers Protect ID and Find Money

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 25, 2011) — Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina (www.bbb.org) held its semi-annual “Secure Your ID” Day event on Saturday, April 16. More than 415 participants took part in the free community awareness event and were provided with a safe way to destroy documents containing sensitive information. BBB, Coastal Federal Credit Union and the North Carolina Attorney General’s office also distributed information to help educate consumers on ways to further protect themselves from identity theft.

Held at the Coastal Federal Credit Union on St. Albans Drive in Raleigh, nearly 22,000 pounds of documents were shredded. Participants dropped off an array of documents that included check books, bank statements, school records, utility bills, credit card receipts and register receipts. Shredding services were provided by Cintas Document Management (www.cintas.com/DocumentManagement/) and PROSHRED® Security (www.proshred.com).

“We were thrilled with the great turnout for the event,” said Toby Barfield, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina. “It is heartwarming to see consumers taking advantage of this opportunity to protect their identities.”

To further assist consumers, BBB partnered with the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer (www.nccash.com) to provide participants an opportunity to search for unclaimed property. Representatives from the Treasurer’s office were on hand to help participants search for money that was owed to them. They searched records of old bank accounts, wages, utility deposits, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, bonds and contents from safe deposit boxes that have typically been abandoned for one to five years. Nearly 120 searches were conducted, resulting in 24 matches for a total of more than $1,900 found for consumers.

BBB hosts its “Secure Your ID” Day events in the spring and fall each year. The next event will be held in October 2011. For more event information, visit www.easternnc.bbb.org/secure-your-id.   

About BBB serving Eastern North Carolina:
Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from more than 2,900 local businesses and professional firms. The BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, dispute resolution services, and consumer/business education programs. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.  

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Media Contacts:
Brian Van Norman
Articulon
919.232.5008
brian@articulon.com

Toby Barfield
BBB
919.277.4202
tbarfield@raleigh.bbb.org